The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1887-01-20
Looking for the Leaks.


from Barnwell on a matter of private
business and had few idle minutes at
the Grand Central Hotel. Of course in
South Carolina this year all economic
discussions begin with reference to the
achievements of our reform Legisla-
.ure." Ours did.
Gen. Hagood said: "There is no room
for retrenchment in the executive depart.
ment. I was in the comptroller gener.
al's Office four years and know every
salary, from 'Bill' Roses up. You might
.scrape $40 from his pay and proper
.ionate amount from the salaries of the
clerks and State officers, and might re.
luce the expenses thousand dollars in
this way, but it would impair the service.
I'll tell you, as newspaper man, that
there is room for reform in two depart
ments. The leaks are in the Lunatic
Asylum and the Penitentiary.
"Do you know how many patients
there are in the Asylum2 About 800, 1
suppose. When was Governor knew
there were over GOO, and, as we'll as can
| recolect, all but twenty FIVE were sup
ported by the State. Such proportion
| is ridiculous. Any one can see that
paupers don't havea monopoly of luna
cy. 1t is evident that there are great
many people iu the Asylum who have
no right to be there at the expense Of
the State. l thought over the matter
very carefully when I was Governor, and
came to the conclusion that the only way
to compel those to pay who were able to
pay was to make the support of benef-
Charles charge against the counties in
stead of the, State. This would make
the officers whose duty it is to commit
patients to the ASYLUM very careful as
to whom they sent as beneficiaries. II
thew are solicited to send MS free patient
one who is not an object of State charity
they will be apt to remember that for
every person obliged by such action
several taxpayers will be offended. They
will have to account for their actions to
the people Of their own communities.
AS it is now, the cost to the county is not
directly known; the county which sends
many free patients fares as we'll as that
which sends few, and there is no local
responsibility. l made recommends
ton of this kind to the Legislature, but
the change wasn't made. Some regula-
tions were enacted, but they have proved
worthless. l was thought to be callous,
hard hearted, regular Gradgrind, but
something OF the kind will have to be
done before the abuse of the States
charity can be reformed. There has been
objection to the plan because of the
alleged difficulty in making the levy fol
The different counties, but all that is
necessary is that the apportionment o
cost be made by the comptroller'genera
and the levy for each county embodied
in the supply bill"
"Now, as to the Peniteutiary: Fol
ten years we have had from 900 to 1000
convicts under sentence, and yet in only
one year did the State receive any prof
from their labor. Before the war you
people and my people used to pay from
$500 to $1,000 for such hands, supper
them and their dependent families com
fortably, and not only make fine living
out of the investment, but accumulate
wealth. Yet these convicts are in stat
of slavery even more absolute, and ar
disciplined with greater care and exact
ness. There must be something wron!
when they cannot be made to earn a
least their own living. If it were not TO
the stigma which would attach to con
vict ownership 1 would be willing t.
lease the whole Penitentiary. coul'
make my fortune out Of it. Why,
would pay now from $50 to sl10 yea
for convicts to work on my plantation ii
Barnwell, and feed them besides. Tha
is what we are paying for free labor
with the risk of its leaving US at an!
time"
"What is the remedy, General ?"
"Let the superintendent be authorized
to make contracts for work all over th'
State. Put him in a position where h'
can bid for the grading of railroad OF
any other job of that kind. He Cal
establish camps wherever the work is t.
be done, and have the con7icts under tb'
control of officers of the Penitentiary
ensuring them proper care aud treatment
There is nothing to prevent the estab
lishment of a dozen branches of th'
Penitentiary in different parts of tn
State. IF there is work 10 be done il
Colleton, or in Pickens, let safe stockade
be built for the convicts, and put then
to work there"
"Then you think that the Asylum
and tho Penitentiary offer the only fele
for any considerable reform?"
"Yes, in the State Government. Blu
our county expenses are altogether TOT
great. In Radical days the State lev!
used to be as high as ten or twelve mills
We have cut that down to four and
quarter mills. Yet the levy for ordinar!
county purposes, which used to be abou
three mills in the worst days of Radical
ism, is just as high now. Why cant w'
reduce the county as swell as the STATE
levy? We have too many count!
officers. The work is divided between
number of men who are generally poorl!
paid instead of being committed to teV
we'll salaried officers, who could bette
perform it. But our whole county sys
tenn is cumbrous and unsuited to th'
State. 1t is too expensive for sparse
onr,ot;on aTt reminds me-" concluded